


Afterlife Inc.

by CorvusCorvidae



Series: Berrittana Week [4]
Category: Glee
Genre: Alternate Universe - Supernatural, F/F, Multi, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-06-12
Updated: 2013-06-12
Packaged: 2017-12-14 19:22:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,843
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/840473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CorvusCorvidae/pseuds/CorvusCorvidae
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Demon Santana and Angel Brittany are tasked with being in charge of aiding Rachel Berry to greatness. Only, they never expected her to be able to see them do so. One-shot. AU. Berrittana Week – Day Five: Supernatural.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Afterlife Inc.

**Author's Note:**

> I’m not entirely sure this makes sense, but enjoy it anyway!

*0*0*

There was always a lot of talk about heaven and hell, of good verses bad, but actually, it was about purpose. Each person had one goal, one purpose, whether it was big or small, they had to complete it during their life. For some, it was simply crossing this road at that exact time to set off a chain reaction. For others, it was to rise up and either commit horrific actions to ignite change, or to lead peacefully and help.

In order to make sure all this happened, Afterlife Inc. made it their mission to keep the world in order, at a price of course.

When someone died, they immediately were given the option of where they wished to go: Afterlife Inc., Freewill, or Miracles. Each company affected Earth in different ways, and each company needed to achieve certain goals to keep their contracts. It was up to the person arriving at the pearly gates to decide which one had their best interest at heart.

Santana arrived at the age of eighteen, having been a passenger in a car she should have avoided, and suddenly she had three welcome packs thrust at her. Did she want to create miracles and wow the world? Did she want to encourage people to make their own actions, against fate? Or did she want to toy with people in their day to day lives?

She hadn’t actually cared, but Afterlife Inc. gave her a perk she just couldn’t pass up on; wings. They weren’t overwhelming in size, but they fitted her stature, and thankfully, they didn’t have to remain out if she needed them. They were really only for show, or for following her charge around Earth.

Due to the nature of her character, Santana found herself a perfect candidate for the Demon Guardian position. It required her to test her charges, to give them obstacles and challenges, to see them overcome it, and then correct things in order for them to go on and fill out their life purpose.

The Guardianships were one of the best opportunities available, and they were also the only ones that came with a partner.

That’s where Brittany came in. The blonde goddess had been one of the most sought after in their Guardian 101 class, and when it came to partnering up, she had scores of people offering. Santana was the only one that didn’t clamour to work with her, and that in turn made Brittany soft for the rough around the edges Demon.

Santana’s heart and soul weren’t black as coal, like some of the other’s Brittany had met, and she hadn’t pandered to the Angel, which made her all the more endearing. Brittany just knew that with her enthusiasm and optimism, to have the best effect on the human population, then she would need to work with the most pessimistic and sour faced Demon there was.

Santana had fit the bill that day, and they’d been together ever since.

It was a peculiar partnership to most, but Brittany wouldn’t have it any other way. Santana had become her other half, her imperfect perfection, with a dark sense of humour and cutting remarks, but with a soul that would always pick the lesser of two evils when it came to their charges, as if she wanted them to do better, to rise up regardless of what obstacles she’d put in her path.

It was this caring, albeit hidden side, that made their partnership one of the strongest in the department. Unlike some of the other Guardians, they were both aware that they were playing with people’s lives. This wasn’t a fun game. Santana might have thought it was when she signed up, but now she knew the reality. They could literally make or break them, and they wanted to ensure they did exactly what they were tasked with, nothing more.  

Guardians had to follow their charge at all times. They had to be with them, help them, hinder them, give them the choice to either build themselves up or tear themselves down.

If a charge broke under the pressure, if they were pushed too hard, and decided enough was enough, arriving at the pearly gates before their specified arrival time, there was an internal investigation and a fuck-ton of paperwork. No one wanted that. No one wanted ruthless and horrible Guardians, and those that were found unfit were booted down to the basement levels to do some of the more tedious and painful tasks.

Thankfully, Santana and Brittany had never been in one of those situations, as she was very careful with how she screwed up people’s lives. There were rules of conduct, but sometimes Freewill took over and the human could violate the rules. When that happened, which was possible on occasion depending on the person, more paperwork had to be filled out.

Santana tended to hate those charges more than others. Go figure.

The system of Guardians was run on a case to case basis. Those further up the corporate ladder would project what the human race needed, and then turn this information over to Human Resources, which would work out who was important and who was not. They would then hunt down those that were destined to help, either in greatness, or by such a seemingly insignificant act that then goes to change the world.

Once those humans were found, they were turned over to Guardians, who had to ensure that certain aspects were ticked, that their charge made it safely to a certain goal point. Of course, Freewill, which Afterlife Inc. despised, usually messed up these plans along the way, which was why character building was so necessary.

Sometimes the universe needed a hero or heroine, and at other times, it needed thieves, politicians, and lowlifes. It was the Guardians job to make sure they met their target, even when Freewill was encouraging them not to.

Santana wished she could complain, but she really couldn’t; not when she worked with Brittany. She had it pretty sweet, and as she read over the case notes of their new charge, she knew Brittany would enjoy this one.

Their new charge, one Rachel Berry, was going to go on for greatness; inspiring thousands with her voice, her career, her kindness, but first, she had to make it through the early years. She had picked a career that was riddled with rogue Demon’s interference, making foul and cruel individuals, and she was going to need all the navigation she could get.

But it was the dancing, the singing, the performing that Brittany would adore. Santana didn’t know much about Brittany’s human life, before she got her wings, but from what she was aware, the girl had been a dancer, and she missed it dearly. There wasn’t exactly a lot of time to go dancing when one had to watch over someone’s life twenty four seven.

 Just being in a theatre again would probably have Brittany smiling, and in turn, Santana.

“Howdy,” Brittany chimed, planting herself in the chair next to Santana. Their little cubicle, alongside the other thousands of cubicles, was littered with cat pictures and slushy cups. Santana was too lazy to clean, and Brittany liked the mess.

“Morning,” she drawled back, flipping over the file once more before handing it on to Brittany to look at. She accepted it without a second look and then began humming.

“This one’s exciting,” she finally said, and already there was a small grin playing on her features. Definitely worth it, and for that alone, Santana was going to go easier on this Rachel Berry because getting a smile from Brittany was always fucking brilliant. “When can we go meet her?” the eagerness in her voice was adorable.

“As soon as you’re ready,” Santana replied, waving her hands to show she was ready to leave.

“I’m ready!” Brittany cried, and Santana couldn’t help but laugh. They may have only been there for a few moments, but already they had the vital information from the file, and they knew exactly where they were going.

Taking the Cloud down the Earth, Santana and Brittany found themselves on the rooftop of an apartment building. It was in some decrepit area of New York, and already Santana could feel the grime coating her wings. Fucking pollution.

Brittany was clearly thinking the same, as her nose wrinkled in disgust, and then she opted to fold her wings away. It was the safest option in this air, and Santana did the same, before reaching for Brittany’s hand and leading them towards the door.

The two of them headed inside and made their way down the stairs until they arrived at the correct apartment. Knowing that this was their charges address, they had the ability to simple walk through her door and enter. If it hadn’t been, they would have bounced back with a hefty bruise.

Inside the apartment, they could definitely hear their charge, but not see her. Inspecting further, Brittany pointed behind a curtain and the two of them waited for the girl to make an appearance. It wasn’t long before she appeared, all wide eyed and doe like, singing to herself and dancing across the apartment. It was entirely too adorable for Santana’s liking, and the huge expanse of leg she had on show wasn’t helping.

“Play nice,” Brittany teased quietly, knowing Santana was getting flustered, but it was too late.

Using her powers, Santana set the first obstacle in motion, and when Rachel made to open the fridge, she ended up too close, and ended up thumping her head on the door. Dropping the door down, she rubbed the new bump.

“Ow,” she whined, pouting while Santana sniggered on.

“Really?” Brittany asked, looking unimpressed.

“Shut up,” Santana muttered, ignoring Rachel’s aggrieved look as she opened the fridge properly this time and grabbed out a bowl of fruit.

Spending the next fifteen minutes or so getting to know Rachel by snooping through her place and her things, Santana and Brittany deduced that they could probably play it safe for now. Their main task as Guardians for Rachel required them to toughen her up, encourage her to never lose sight. She needed to build up her resolve, and they could definitely do that.

It would take careful manipulation. Brittany would pick her up from life’s difficulties, and Santana would put some in her path if she needed to. It was all about ensuring that she went on to achieve her end goal. Given their past record, this wasn’t going to be a problem.

*0*0*

Spending the weeks following around Rachel was great fun for Brittany, but a bit of a nightmare for Santana. Brittany would take part in all Rachel’s NYADA classes, practicing her dancing, her acting, and her wings would flutter with excitement. Santana, however, was being tempted by the ridiculously long legs Rachel had, which were practically sinful in the way they could move, flex and bend.

She was certainly the demon out of the two of them, and it was becoming harder and harder not to try and take her frustrations out on Rachel.

So maybe she was being a little harsher with her obstacles this week, and maybe she was firing off cruel punishments for all of Rachel’s dance and acting partners, and maybe she was practically marking her territory like a dog.

Brittany found it hilariously cute, which did nothing to calm Santana’s wrath, and this just fuelled her fire against Rachel.

It was this situation that had brought on the current dilemma in Rachel’s morning. She was trying to make toast, with trying being the optimum word. Santana was wreaking havoc on her toaster, making the bread pop out every few seconds, making Rachel come back over and put it back in. Brittany was watching with a rather board expression, sitting high up on the bookcases they had, while Santana was sitting atop the fridge.

Once again, the toast popped up, and Rachel glared at the toaster, then came back over to fix it.

“Stay,” she ordered, pointing at it, and Santana cracked a smile.

“So she’s determined,” Santana called up to Brittany, and suddenly Rachel whipped around like she’d heard something, looking wide eyed at the fridge.

Santana froze, horrified, and Brittany just about fell off the bookshelf in fright. What the fuck had just happened?

“Is someone there?” Rachel called out a second later, and Brittany and Santana looked at each other and then back to their charge. “Kurt?” Rachel tried again, frowning. “You must be going crazy,” she muttered to herself, turning back to the toaster.

Had she…had she heard them? Had Rachel actually heard Santana talk? If so, then they were in trouble, and they needed to head right back to headquarters to report this. There would probably be an enquiry, and there would probably be a shit load of paperwork, but they couldn’t have their charge hearing or seeing them.

It went against all the current rules.

Brittany swooped down from the shelf and used her powers to heat Rachel’s bread to perfection, and the toast pinged up in time. It might have been a small difference, but the beaming smile on Rachel’s face as she tucked into her food moments later made it seem earthshattering.

Santana already knew they were going to be in for a tough time with this one. She needed to break her spirit a little bit more before Brittany could swoop in and make it all better, but that was going to be hard with those big brown expansive eyes and that adorable pout Santana had witnessed. The girl might not have realised she was doing it, but already she held a special place in Santana and Brittany’s hearts.

On top of that, the strange situation that had just taken place meant they were going to have to tread carefully. Doing just that, Brittany and Santana made their leave.

*0*0*

Like Santana knew there would be, there was a shit-load of paperwork. Their boss didn’t like the possibility that Rachel could have heard them, but as Santana and Brittany had already started their Guardianship, they were tasked with continuing. If, or rather when, Rachel heard them again, they’d need to report it and keep track of how it was progressing.

From that point on, the two of them made the careful decisions to keep their distance and watch from afar. They’d be able to impact Rachel’s life not only by her side but in the corner of the rooms or across the busy streets. They were attempting to stay far enough away she couldn’t hear or see them.

If only they knew it was futile from the start, they would never have bothered.

It was after a dance lesson, and Rachel was the last in the dance studio. Brittany and Santana were standing near the back wall, and had been watching and observing, rather than interacting, when Rachel came charging across the floor, hollering.

“Okay, I’ve had enough,” Rachel began, waving her arms as she spoke. “Who are you two and why do you keep following me? I should call the cops! This is stalking!” She looked genuinely flustered, but was still pointing her finger, ready for a fight by the looks of it.

“Whoa, you can see us?” Brittany asked, startled. She looked behind her, just to be sure Rachel wasn’t yelling at someone they had missed, but nope. She was definitely yelling at Santana and her.

“Of course I can!” she continued rattling on, while Santana and Brittany looked at each other. This was an unprecedented situation to be in, and they weren’t quite sure what to do next. They knew they had to report it, but how did they get away to do so? “-and did you have anything to do with the flat tire I got last week? Because that’s really uncalled for if you did-“ Rachel blabbed, and Santana could feel Brittany’s sudden gaze piercing into her temple.

“Santana, you promised,” Brittany scolded, looking ashamed.

It was met with an eye roll, because come on, Santana had tried, but she needed to exact some kind of ill-will on the girl. She couldn’t just go through life living on the happiness Brittany was exuding. That wouldn’t be fair to all the other sorry bastards out there.

“So you did puncture my tire?” Rachel asked, almost shrieking. God, Santana wanted to knock her out, at least until they were somewhere private, where people couldn’t just walk in. Brittany clearly could see she was thinking as much and turned on her.

“Do anything rash and I’ll personally report you,” she said, still looking at Santana, and fuck, she hated that she knew her so well. There goes that plan. Turning back to Rachel, Brittany gave her an apologetic smile. “We’re so sorry to have been a bother, please forgive us.”

Rachel looked ready to protest, but then she caught sight of Brittany’s gaze and Santana knew exactly why Rachel ended up nodding softly, dazed. Brittany’s celeste blue eyes were mesmerising and magnetic, squashing all arguments. Santana had been victim to them many a times.

It was this distraction that Brittany required to get Santana and her out of there, and she tugged on Santana’s hand, pulling her from the room.

That was definitely a disaster for their work record.

*0*0*

Santana and Brittany were back, but this time they were sent to see if their charge could still see them. There had been a gap in time from Rachel first hearing them to seeing them, and the powers above at Afterlife Inc. were curious to see if the same would happen again. Their boss was pissed about it, but she couldn’t do anything as the higher powers wanted to see this development.

To see if Rachel would still be capable of seeing them, the two Guardians let themselves into Rachel’s apartment while her roommate was out, and while she was getting ready to cook dinner. It might not have been the brightest plan of all, but it was what they were stuck with.

Of course, they hadn’t expected Rachel to whirl round when they wandered into the kitchen to join her, and their wings shrunk in fright. Guardians could be startled, too.

“What are you doing in my house?!” Rachel cried, and shot a look between the two of them, briefly thinking of how this was the strangest situation of stalking she’d ever encountered.

“This is fascinating,“ Brittany murmured, and Santana nodded. It was pretty interesting, actually.

“Explain yourselves!” Rachel yelled, reaching for a frying pan to defend herself. Yeah, Santana had seen Tangled, and she knew the damage those things could do.

“We come in peace,” Brittany said, giving the peace sign, and fuck, that wasn’t going to help at all.

Like Santana expected, Rachel opened her mouth to start yelling again, stepping closer, waving that damn frying pan, and deciding that she’d deal with the fallout later, Santana used her abilities to place herself behind Rachel.

“Don’t you dare!” Brittany yelled out, knowing what Santana was going to do next, but Rachel thought she was being yelled at, and it escalated from there.

Not thinking twice, Santana put Rachel into a hold, effectively cutting off her air supply. The frying pan was dropped, and then loosening her muscles, Santana lulled Rachel unconscious, depositing her slumped body on the floor.

Quite pleased with herself, Santana stood up and then saw Brittany’s glare. Well, fuck.

“What? I didn’t see you coming up with anything better!” Santana cried, defending her actions. There was no point.

“You have five seconds to wake her up before I pluck you like a bird!” Brittany barked, and shit, she was probably the scariest Guardian around when she tried.

Wanting to keep her wings intact, Santana picked Rachel up like a bag of potatoes and unceremoniously dumped her on the living room couch, which received a jab in the wings from her partner. Pouting at being ruffled like that, Santana leant over Rachel and placed her fingertips on her temples, slowly rousing her from her slumber.

Rachel awoke with a groan, gripping at her head and Brittany stepped in to ease her rousing. It cleared up the headache, and Brittany once again used her gaze to lull Rachel into silence.

“Please don’t scream, we really aren’t going to hurt to,” she said soothingly, and Santana’s wings shivered from the calming tone, so used to hearing it.

“Is this the afterlife?” Rachel mumbled, trying to sit up, looking around blearily. Brittany smiled brightly and shook her head.

“What makes you think that?”

“You’re angels, such beautiful angels,” she chimed, looking on goofily. Santana snorted at the thought of anyone calling her an angel, and she flopped down onto the free chair available.

“This isn’t the afterlife, and I guess only one of us is an angel,” Brittany replied, shooting a smile Santana’s way. “You really shouldn’t be able to see us, Rachel,” she continued, giving her a sad smile as she moved her to sit up properly, tucking herself into Brittany’s side, arm round her waist.

“Who are you?” she asked, frowning confusedly, and fuck, Santana thought that face was adorable.

“We’re your Guardians,” Brittany answered honestly, and Santana shot her a look, which was completely ignored. They really didn’t have the permission needed to divulge that information. “We’re here to make sure you live your life to its full potential.” That was true, for this case, anyway.

“You know what’s going to happen in my life?” Rachel asked, eyes brimmed with curiosity. “Am I dying, is that why you’re here? Do I not get to live out my Broadway dreams? Is this like that brain tumour that makes people hallucinate? Am I hallucinating?” she babbled, and good lord.

Fucking hell, girl, take a breath.

“Rachel, we’re not a brain tumour. We’re you’re Guardians,” Brittany repeated, smiling.

“I don’t know what that means,” she whined, and Santana snapped.

“It means she protects you, and I fuck you up. It means Brittany drops five dollars in the street for you to pick up, and I slash your tires. We’re your Guardians. We’re with you all the time, altering your life, building you up to be what you’ll be.” Silence reigned on, and Santana shifted awkwardly. Maybe she shouldn’t have snapped.

“How is slashing my tires helping me become a Broadway star?” Rachel asked, and she didn’t look annoyed by the Santana’s abruptness, but more curious.

“What Santana means is that we need to test you, to see how you’re motivated, why you’re motivated, and correct you if you’re going off on the wrong path. She inflicts obstacles where they’re needed, and I lessen the brunt of everyday life.” Brittany was always better at explaining things.

“And this will help me?” Rachel enquired; turning to look at what Santana was sure was the light of her life now.

“Yes, it’ll help you.”

“This makes no sense,” she whined, flopping down, earning a laugh from Brittany, while Santana sulked away.

Those two were bonding, and obviously no one wants to hang out with a demon, so Santana would just go make herself useful across town. Maybe it was time to go a little rogue and throw in some unplanned pregnancies and erectile dysfunctions.

That would make her feel better.

*0*0*

Santana found herself hanging out on top of Rachel’s building several hours later, close enough for Brittany to pick up where she was, and far enough away she didn’t have to watch them buddy-buddy up to each other.

It was probably stupid, but Santana had always known she was least favourite of the two. All the other Guardians just flocked to Brittany, even the worst of the worst demons adored her, and yet Santana was like the rut of the litter, the pariah. She tried not to let it affect her, but when faced with one of her charges having an outright preference, it hurt.

Rachel didn’t know who was the good one, who was the bad one, she had just been faced with two winged girls in her apartment, and she had clung to Brittany instantly. Was Santana so deplorable that even humans could sense she was to be avoided?

The bang of the rooftop door opening had Santana jumping with fright, and then she was suddenly in Brittany’s arms, holding her tight. If Santana hadn’t been feeling so pathetic, she would have pushed the angel away.

“Stop whatever it is you’re thinking, and come on back downstairs. Rachel wants to meet you,” she said quietly, kissing her temple. Grumbling under her breath, Santana shook her head and then found Brittany cupping her head in her hands.

“Don’t be jealous,” she whispered, leaning in closer. “You’re an angel to me.” It brought a small smile to her lips and Santana rolled her eyes. “Come on, let’s go hang out with our charge. She’s super curious about what you can do, and I think she wants to lecture you on slashing her tire, which serves you right.”

“Fine, fine,” Santana digressed, beginning to step away, only to have Brittany pull her back.

Her lips were soft, brushing against hers ever so carefully, and Santana found herself relaxing into her embrace. God, Santana could never get enough of her, and these sweet little moments between them were golden.

Easing back from the kiss, Santana soaked in the last of Brittany’s scent, gaze, and touch, before they moved towards the rooftop door. She always did know the perfect way to cheer Santana up, and that was certainly one of the ways.

Back inside, Santana couldn’t shake Brittany’s hand, and ended up holding it throughout the night. Rachel had overcome the confusion and was in full on excited mode. She was asking for favours to punish those that had hurt her, and she was desperate to see some of the tricks they could pull.

She also wanted to touch their wings, but Brittany had held off until Santana had come back.

It seemed the one Rachel Berry was as annoying as Santana thought, but fucking hell, she was even more adorable that she thought, and Santana couldn’t help but let the girl inspect her wings. They were of average size, white in colour, and Rachel’s gentle touch had her struggling to stay still. It was like a soft caress, and Brittany fought the smirk on her face when she saw Santana revelling in the feeling.

Rachel might not understand, but Santana clearly trusted her enough to let her, and that had Brittany convinced this was the start of something special.

That specialty didn’t last as long as she would have hoped, as Brittany and Santana really weren’t meant to leave Rachel alone, so needed to stay the night. That found the three of them tucked up later on that evening, with Brittany and Santana cooped up by Rachel’s window, while she rolled around in her bed.

“It’s creepy watching me sleep,” she pointed out, for what had to be the thirteen time that night.

Kurt was out, thankfully, and Santana had held her tongue through Rachel’s entire night routine in the bathroom, so she could do with a little down time, and some silence. But that wasn’t happening.

“Oh my God, just go to sleep already, Berry!” she barked.

“What?! It is! I can just feel your presence suffocating me,” she hollered back, and Santana wanted to growl at her.

“I’ll suffocate you in a minute if you don’t shut the hell up! You’re not the only one trying to sleep.”

“You can sleep on the job? Isn’t that frowned upon?” Rachel asked curiously, peeking over the side of the bed.

“Oh for fucks sake-!”

“San, shh, please,” Brittany cooed, saddling up to her, and coaxing her to calm by running her hands softly over the underside of her wings. It was soothing and relaxing, almost like tonight’s earlier activities with Rachel, and an instant way to calm her down. “We sleep when you sleep, Rach, and Santana’s just tired,” Brittany then went on to explain.

“Oh, well why didn’t you just say so!” she chirped.

Whatever was going to be barked at her was shut down when Brittany nuzzled into Santana’s neck, planting a kiss on her skin, while still playing with her wings.

“Are you two together?!” Rachel squealed, like an overzealous fan.

“I’m calling Management and telling them they have the wrong check-in date for this asshole,” Santana growled, and Brittany fought back a smile as she shushed her.

Only after a handful of giggles from Rachel, did things quieten down and all three fell asleep.

This whole problem with having their charge see them was a fucking nightmare, as far as Santana was concerned. Brittany, on the other hand, thought it still could be a lot of fun.

*0*0*

Awakening early the next morning, Brittany caught her fellow Guardian leaning back against the window, in perfect view of their sleeping charge in the bed. Rachel was facing them, her hair ruffled over the pillows, and she looked so peaceful.

“She’s gorgeous, isn’t she?” Brittany remarked, moving closer, and Santana could feel the flush in her cheeks. Goddammit.

“Maybe,” Santana murmured, looking away and shrugging. She wasn’t agreeing to anything.

Brittany could see right through her, though, and fought back a smile. If Santana didn’t want to admit that she was a lot more attached to this charge, then she wasn’t going to push it. That’s how they had come together so effortlessly.

It had been a months on end with a charge who led a ridiculously boring life that they found themselves really bonding, and somehow, one gentle touch of her wings and then Santana was leaning into Brittany, and Brittany was leaning back, and they were kissing one another.

Everything from that point on had been slow and careful, and things were now so natural. They didn’t define what they were, because there was no need. They were always going to be together, working side by side, spending their afterlives united.

And that’s what made things so tricky for Santana. Rachel was rather lovely, and she had grown fond of her since they first met her, but Rachel was human. Rachel was not going to be joining Santana and Brittany in Afterlife Inc. anytime soon, and she certainly wouldn’t be able to partner with them if she did join when she passed.

They were never going to be able to be with her the way they were with each other, and for that reason alone, Santana needed to squash all thoughts and feelings she had for the young charge. Brittany was also struggling with the same, but she was taking a different approach. She wasn’t squashing her feelings, but letting them grow.

Brittany’s love was pure and honest, and she wanted it to flourish. There was no need to hide her adoration and affection, because pure love was so rare. So she would love Rachel, and she would dote on her as much as she could with compromising their job, and then when they had to leave Rachel, at least she would know she loved fully without fear.

Sliding over to the bed, Brittany tucked Rachel’s hair further from her face, and gently tried to rouse her. It might have still been early, but Rachel usually reacted gruffly to the sound of the alarm, so Brittany wanted to rise her in a more calming manner.

“You’re still here,” Rachel finally sighed, smiling softly as she looked at Brittany.

“Of course we are, silly,” Brittany murmured, taking Rachel’s hand in hers.

“Wait, where’s Santana?” Rachel asked, looking concerned as she made to sit up, and Santana decided to make herself known, moving across the room to join them on the bed. “Hi,” Rachel said shyly, a slight blush on her cheeks as she caught sight of the demon.

“Morning,” Santana drawled, a warm smile on her lips at the slight elation in her chest from Rachel asking where she was. God, she was so pathetic, and she needed to get a grip of herself. This was ridiculous.

Reaching out to take Santana’s hand, Rachel caressed the knuckles of her fingers with hers, and Santana could practically  feel her heart exploding with affection for the girl.

“So what do we have planned for today?”

“You have to go to your classes,” Brittany said, giving her a pointed look, “and we will be with you throughout the day, watching.”

“You’re not going to slash my tire again, are you?” Rachel asked Santana, concerned on her brow, and Santana chuckled under her breath.

“No, I’m not.”

“So what are you going to do to me?” That sentence shouldn’t have inspired such thoughts in Santana’s mind, and she froze, completely blank. Brittany laughed at her and was quick to answer on her behalf.

“We’re going to watch, and then if we think you could benefit from our interference, we’ll act accordingly, but you don’t get to know about it. You know that.” Clearly she’d gone through the rules the previous evening.

“Do you honestly expect me to be able to go through my classes as if you’re both not there?” Rachel wondered, shaking her head as she did so. “It won’t be possible. I’ll keep staring. I’ll keep watching you. We can’t go. We should stay here and get to know each other better. You can tell me-“

“Rachel,” Santana began, her voice a little lower than before thanks to the lustful thoughts she’d been cursed with. “You’re going to class, we’re going to watch. That’s it.”

“You can’t make me,” Rachel said defiantly.

“Really?” Santana cocked her eyebrow and smirked, but it backfired when Rachel licked her lips and swallowed. Jesus.

Brittany began chuckling again as she tugged on Rachel’s hand, pulling her from the bed, and far away from her demon partner who was having wicked thoughts. Brittany knew that look, she had been on the end of that look, and it was probably wiser for them all to start the day properly.

With some coaxing, Rachel went in the shower to get ready, while Santana went on a fly around the neighbourhood to burn some of that excess energy she had built up. Brittany could see that Santana was fighting a losing battle, but still couldn’t do anything about it. Santana would need to learn the hard way.

“I’m not happy about this, and you’ll regret sending me there today!” Rachel called once dressed, and Santana rolled her eyes because Rachel was as about as threatening as a gnome.

Once at NYADA, Santana and Brittany took a seat at the back of the dance class, while Rachel started stretching provocatively in front of them. This was clearly what she meant, because the girl was smirking in the mirror, all pleased with herself.

“I’m going to kill her,” Santana muttered, smoke practically coming off her in rage.

“No you’re not,” Brittany laughed, though, she had to admit Rachel was being very devious.

“Yes, I am. She’s going to die. I’m going to send a truck her way, maybe trampled to death from a rush of crowds, falling on the subway platform, whatever I feel like.”

The soothing feel of Brittany’s hand on Santana’s wings had her calming down, which was very fortunate for Rachel, not that she realised, of course. The girl continued to flaunt herself around the room, being an exceptional dancer, and while Brittany would normally join her, she didn’t want to distract Rachel.

Thankfully, Rachel did survive that day, but not before Santana had words with her. It was met with a coy smile, and she flitted off to her next class with a skip in her step. Brittany just ended up laughing at Santana’s dismayed face, and dragged her along.

This went on for the days and weeks that followed. It was clear that Rachel was aware of Santana’s attraction to her, and she adored Brittany’s affection, and played on both of this. Kurt thought she was losing her mind, but Rachel didn’t care because she got to spend her days and nights with these two, and it was perfect.

Santana still went about her job and made to put obstacles in Rachel’s path, and Brittany perked her up. When one particular casting director had been horrifically cruel, due to no fault of Santana’s, Brittany went out of her way to send Rachel flowers, anonymously. It was obvious who they were from, however, and that was the first night Rachel kissed them.

She had been upset, lounging on the couch with them both, until the doorbell rang. Hopping up unexcitedly, she opened the door looking more annoyed than anything else, and suddenly found a bouquet being handed to her.

The smile she returned to the both of them made their wings flutter and stretch in excitement, as if they had done good, even though it was mainly Brittany’s idea. Though, apparently Santana was getting props for not encouraging the casting director.

“Thank you,” Rachel murmured shyly, smelling the flowers before nipping in the kitchen to put them in some water. When she came back, she tucked herself back in-between the two of them, and spun to hug Brittany.

Except she didn’t lean into hug Brittany, she leant in and planted a chaste and soft kiss on her lips, before turning and doing the same to a very shocked Santana. She only just managed to catch the end of the kiss, fighting a whimper as Rachel moved back.

“I adore having you both in my life,” Rachel admitted, looking to the TV as if nothing had happened.

And that night, Santana went swooping through the city, with Brittany flying behind her, stretching out her wings widely, and laughing at the ecstatic feeling in her chest.

So maybe now Santana could finally admit to being attracted to Rachel, and definitely admit to having strong feelings for the girl. She was something unique, something special, and as long as moments like tonight’s continued, Santana would be a happy Guardian.

*0*0*

Brittany and Santana both were happy Guardians for the months on end that they spent with Rachel. They became rooted in her life, and loved watching her grow and develop into the amazing performer that she was.

But it had to come to an end.

Guardians only were with their charge until they had achieved their goal, and Rachel had inadvertently achieved that. She was ready to go on her own, to become the star she destined to be, which meant they needed to take their leave.

On that night, both were heartbroken as they had to give the news to Rachel, and like expected, it was painful to see her respond to it.

“You can’t leave me,” Rachel gasped, sounding shocked at the prospect of them not being around anymore. “I need you, I need both of you!” she cried, pacing the apartment floor. Kurt was out, and they had the place to themselves, which was fortunate because if he had been around he would have thought she was crazy.

“Rach, you don’t need us. You’re doing so good, and we can’t help you anymore,” Brittany explained, coming to pull Rachel to sit next to her, and Rachel immediately grasped her hand as she fell down onto the couch.

“That’s not true, you can help me, you both can help me. Santana can slash my tires again and you can send me flowers anonymously. I don’t care, please, you have to stay!” she pleaded, and Santana looked away, frowning. It was so painful to hear, she could hardly bear it.

“We don’t have a choice in this,” Santana finally murmured, coming to wrap her arm around Rachel’s shoulders. “We’d stay if we could. I promise you, we would stay if we could.”

It was so true, and Santana and Brittany hated that they had to take their leave. It was the rules, however, even if it felt like all the feathers in their wings were being plucked.

“I just…I can’t…I can’t do this without you both.” Rachel shook her head, and firing herself across the room, fighting more tears. Both of them followed, and took her hands, gently wiping her tears away as they did so. Rachel then stepped back from Santana, leaning up to cup Brittany’s face. Santana couldn’t help but look away, swallowing the pain away, as Rachel kissed her soundly, pulling Brittany closer.

Brittany soaked up the kiss, feeling Rachel’s soft lips against her own, and putting all her love into this moment. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity, to bask in this affection and return it as such. Her eyes were closed, her wings were stretching out, enjoying the euphoria of Rachel’s lips brushing against her own, and then she gently pulled away from Brittany.

Rachel sent her a small smile, a thankful smile, a loving smile, and kissed her lips once more quickly, before moving away. She turned to look for Santana, who had moved to the other side of the room, awkwardly and hurt looking as she hid her eyes. It made Rachel’s chest ache, because it must have looked like she choosing Brittany over Santana, and that was not the case.

Rachel didn’t know how, but she had fallen in love with these two angels, and that’s what they both were, regardless of Santana’s demon title. She loved them, wholeheartedly. Neither one was her favourite, her heart was divided equally in two.

Taking Santana’s face in her hands, Rachel lost herself in those dark and mysterious eyes, and then kissed her softly, pillowing Santana’s bottom lip between her own, and gently caressing it with her tongue. It was slow and intimate, and not enough.

And then it was over.

Leading Santana back over to Brittany, Rachel took both their hands, and finally accepted that they were leaving, no matter how much it hurt.

“Don’t ever forget me,” she murmured, her voice breaking, and her eyes tearing up once again.

“We could never,” they whispered, almost in unison, before letting go, and stepping back.

They vanished, gone completely, and Rachel was left sobbing, feeling her heart break into pieces with their goodbye.

Meanwhile, Santana and Brittany were back in the lobby of Afterlife Inc., ignoring orders to file paperwork, ignoring their bosses messages, and oblivious to the going ons around them. They held each other and knew that they needed to find a way round this.

That could not be the last they ever saw of Rachel.

If it was, they’d fly off into the Abyss, and say goodbye to their afterlife.  

*0*0*

Rachel went on to live a phenomenal life. She eventually overcame her heartbreak, and threw herself into her career. It was exactly what was needed. It led her to diverse roles, performing for casting directors she never would have, and finally graduating NYADA with a place in an upcoming Broadway show.

It went from strength to strength, awards and accolades, more shows, more success, album sales, TV appearances, and gradually, Rachel began to build the EGOT she was after. The press ate her up, loving her roots, her ability to deliver, and were desperate for the details of her personal life. However, there was not much to it.

Rachel never fell in love again. She couldn’t. She had lovers, but they had a shelf life of three months at most. They didn’t compare to Santana and Brittany. No one ever could. So Rachel went on with her life. She lived it fully, and continued to wow the world with her voice.

Until the eighteenth of October, when she was in her seventies, where she passed away. And then Rachel awoke, looking like her eighteen year old self again, standing in front of the pearly gates Brittany had once spoke of, and then there were the three welcome pamphlets Santana had spoken of.

Miracles – Freewill – Afterlife Inc.

Oh, Rachel knew exactly which one she wanted to attend, which one she wanted to join. But she knew the chances of ever seeing them again were slim. It probably wasn’t possible. So why go through that pain? Why put herself in an environment where she knows they’re there but can’t see them?

Picking up the Miracles welcome pack, Rachel gave it a quick look before thinking it would be the best one for her. She could make miracles happen. She could make people be happy, even if she never achieved her own happiness anymore.

Looking at the three doors, Rachel began walking towards the Miracles one, her step slow and her shoulders slumped. She just wished she could have seen them again, that she could have been in their embrace one last time. Alas.

“Wait!”

“Berry, don’t you dare go through that door!”

Freezing on the spot, Rachel fought a smile as she turned. She didn’t want this to be a hallucination. She needed this to be real. They were there. They were standing on the other side of Afterlife Inc.’s door, and Rachel couldn’t help herself from sprinting towards them.

They hadn’t changed a day. They were still as gorgeous as ever. They still looked stunning, her angels, her stunning, stunning angels.

Flying through the door, Rachel flung herself in their arms, and Brittany and Santana wrapped her up  in their embrace. Rachel was almost crying, fighting back every tear as she held them close, as she breathed in every memory they had, before pulling back.

“I don’t…I can’t…you can’t leave me again, please,” Rachel begged, gripping their hands as the two angels remained smiling at her.

“We’re not, don’t worry. You’re with us now,” Brittany murmured, grinning.

“With you? I thought…I can’t…” She was practically speechless, and her head was spinning.

“You’re ours,” Santana reaffirmed, tugging on her hand softly. “You’ll be with us, as part of our Guardianship team.”

“But…I don’t understand.” Brittany and Santana had made it very clear that Guardians only worked in partners; two, no more.

“We’ll explain, but you’ll be with us for good now, if that’s what you want.” Santana looked a little worried Rachel would change her mind, wouldn’t want to be with them, but this was quickly dissolved.

“I want to, I want to be with you both,” Rachel said quickly, nodding. How could she not? These were her angels, her loves, and she wanted to spend every moment with them, for as long as she could.

“Well then, let’s go get your wings!” Brittany chimed, and Santana looked on smiling.

With Rachel holding both their hands, Santana chanced a look at Brittany and she knew, choosing Afterlife Inc. had to be the best decision they’d ever made. They had found each other, and now they had Rachel, which made it so much better.

Together, all three of them would be the best Guardians Afterlife Inc. had ever seen.

*0*0*


End file.
